Guest Report

[Kirsty Warren]

It’s a tough question – you find somewhere that’s a real gem. Do you keep shtum so next time your chances of being able to book the place are fair, or do you share your secret? But I can’t deny – this is it. If you’re staying in Castara, I’d need real convincing that there was a single contender that could be a match for Carpe Diem. Perched up on the hill, it overlooks the wonderfully rugged, jungle-covered coastline and the sparkling sea with its impossibly pretty sunsets, fabulous birds by day and the twinkling glow of fireflies by night – it’s just magic. At times I’d just sit on the veranda feeling giddy with content – at least I’m pretty sure it was the surroundings and not just the rum.
Some words of warning. We tried to leave – we failed. We packed up our bags, said our goodbyes and off we went to Charlotteville. As lovely a place as it is, being away from Castara was unbearable and we craved the friendly vibes and wonderful views again. It didn’t take long - we came crawling back after 48 long hours. We had tried to make it work, but eventually, we caved in to Castara’s charm. Lucky Yvonne and Chris let us come back – it felt like coming home. But a very superior home of course. This is a difficult place to tear yourself away from.
Chris and Yvonne were wonderful hosts. We were probably dud visitors forgetting a whole heap of essentials that we should have packed. But they were so accommodating, and if we needed things, they’d happily share what they had with us –chargers, snorkels, etc. It’s the sort of kindness that really makes you feel like you’re in good hands.
In general, I wholeheartedly felt that they take everything quite seriously in terms of making sure everyone’s happy. Carpe Diem didn’t really start out as a money-making business venture as such, but Castara had drawn them in and so they built their own place. The studios sounded like an afterthought almost, so it really is a product of love and you absolutely get the personal touch and we felt more like guests than customers.
For us, we loved Castara. It’s refreshing in that its relationship with tourism is a bit different to some other beachy places I’ve been to. Castara offers little in the way of commitment to tourism – it’s treated more as a fling, or a bit on the side if you will. Few in the village are reliant on you for the money that you’re going to bring in and spend (if you can get money out of the ATM that is – I’ll come onto that later). No one followed us around trying to flog us boat trips, no one pushed us to come and look inside their shop, and no one even offered us any ‘herbs’. Even the bar on the beach – some places will do all they can to entice you in, with two-for-one offers, happy hours or even just a welcoming smile and a greeting. Here, oh no. Expect a reversal of the situation - you’ll have to go and find a barman, lure him to the bar and ask nicely for him to fetch you a drink instead – and try and be a considerate punter and order two drinks at once to cause minimum disruption to their schedule of drinking beer in the shade. I liked that though.
What I didn’t like as much, was the ATM who also had a similar laid back attitude and a distain for work. If I could warn anyone of one thing, it would be this blasted, pi**ing ATM that takes it upon itself to give you either tiny amount of pocket money, or no money at all. Hey, it might even get hungry and gobble up your card! We could only get teeny amounts out at a time, and even that was unpredictable. It says 24 hour, but it doesn’t work weekends (it’s usually empty by then), and if someone does have any luck with it, for about five minutes afterwards it won’t work as it’ll need to calm down from all the overexcitement of handing out some dosh. Chris and Yvonne seem to have the bank manager’s number on speed dial, so do let them know. I think this leads to my only thing I’d tweak about Carpe Diem – I had no idea that finding cash could be such a faff, so if I had my way, I’d really like to be given the option of paying upfront via bank transfer to avoid this unexpected stress in case the ATM doesn’t want to play ball.
So, if you’re going to Castara, I’d 100% recommend Carpe Diem - cut out the middle-man and book directly through them for the best rates. You’ll leave with postcard perfect photos of a gorgeous vista, a load of excellent twitches (including most of the hummingbirds found in Tobago), a catalogue of memories to cherish and a severe case of holiday blues.